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Warning: I tried a new way to set my outriggers on a sloped site
I was on a job in Denver last Tuesday, setting up on a pretty steep grade for a small lift. Instead of my usual method of just eyeballing the level and cranking the jacks until they felt solid, I actually took the time to use a digital level on the crane's frame itself, not just the outrigger pads. I got it reading dead zero, thinking I was golden. But when I started to swing the empty hook, I got this slow, weird creep in the boom that just felt wrong. It was only about an inch of drift over a full swing, but it spooked me. I shut it down and rechecked everything. Turns out, the ground under one pad had given just a tiny bit more than the others after the weight settled, even though the frame was level. I learned that getting the frame level is just step one, you have to let the crane's weight sit for a minute and then check it again. It added maybe five minutes to my setup, but it saved a huge headache. Has anyone else had a setup that looked perfect but still felt off once you started moving?
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ryan_black6mo ago
That slow creep is such a silent alarm bell, good on you for listening to it. Read an old safety bulletin once that called that exact thing "false level," where the machine is plumb but the support isn't fully settled yet. They said to always do a light preload cycle on the jacks before the final check, just like you did by letting the weight sit. Makes you wonder how many close calls happen because that second look gets skipped. What did you end up doing to firm up that soft spot under the pad?
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quinnm774mo ago
False level" is a perfect name for it, really gets to the heart of that sneaky feeling. You're right, that second look is everything. For that soft spot, I ended up pulling the pad and digging out about eight inches of that wet clay. I packed it with crushed stone and tamped it down in layers before setting the pad back. It added an hour to the job but it was the only way to sleep that night.
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scott.cameron6mo ago
Man that slow creep is the worst feeling in the world, just a total gut punch. Good on you for shutting it down and double checking, that's the only right move. I've totally been there with the frame reading level but the ground still settling, it's sneaky. Letting the weight sit for a bit before the final check is such a crucial step that's easy to rush.
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